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Special Report
Thanks for your interest in this special report - Introduction to Acting/Modeling in Japan. I would like to be the first to welcome you to the foreign acting community.
Did you know that every month, hundreds of foreigners from around the world search for Acting and modeling opportunities in Tokyo?
Let's get into the good stuff.
Do I need to speak Japanese to get jobs?
There is no requirement at all for Japanese speaking ability. On every audition/job there was a bilingual person to translate if required and the only lines I ever had were for the voice over at the end of the commercial. In every other situation where we were required to talk, we did so in English and they would dub it with Japanese in post-production.
Are you an agent and give people jobs?
I don t actually give people jobs, although I am often asked to help locate people for particular jobs by some of the agencies. My ebook contains all the contact information for the agencies as well as several chapters of advice about what does and doesn t work when working in the industry.
What sort of demand is there for foreign actors?
The agencies are always looking for new people. As I m sure you can imagine, there is a very high turn over of people here in Japan, and the jobs keep on coming. They need people to replace those who have left.
Can I apply/contact the agencies before I arrive in Japan?
The agencies are busy dealing with actors and also the jobs based in Tokyo, so you are better off waiting until you are already over there.
I am yet to hear of someone being offered a gig and flown over, with the exception of Brad Pitt, Tiger Woods, etc. The rest of us mortals have to do it the hard way. The only exception I have seen was a George W Bush lookalike they flew in from Florida for a TV show. Everyone else is locally hired. It would be nice if they would fly people in for a job or two, but it only happens for the big name actors above.
Is your ebook based on your own experience?
Yes, the ebook is from my own experiences and those of others. I have been back and forth to Tokyo since 1999, so know a lot about the industry and how it all works.
In some ways it is good, in others i.e no Union, not so good, but experience is not required at all to get work here. The casting people are very whimsical and it seems to be more based on you fitting their mental image of what they want than anything else. I have seen some people come over who were on Neighbours, Blue Heelers, etc, and they get a bit upset when no body starts doing back flips. For the most part we are consigned to the background, but it pays very well.
Have you had many people who didn't get any work?
I have never had to give a refund for someone not getting work. I had to give one because a guy couldn't get a visa and didn't bothering asking me about it first, but that is the only one in all the years running the site.
What kind of look gets the job?
No real hard and fast rules about looks over there - really just depends on the wacky Director. Most of the contract girls are late teens/early 20s, but they mostly do editorial/catwalk work.
They are also sent on TV commercial auditions, so the line between modeling and acting is very blurred. The market for Japanese kids is pretty big and that look continues to be popular. The great thing about being western is that each person is truly unique physically.
Is it possible to get work outside the agencies?
As far as getting the work goes, it is almost all done exclusively by the agents. I have known some people to get work straight from Production companies, but they are few and far between. It is possible, but requires patience and fluent Japanese. Most of them are afraid to work directly with foreigners in case something happens.
Auditions and scheduling.
First off, almost all the auditions are held between about 3pm and 8pm, so that is going to create one or two problems.
There are jobs you have to audition for, and others you get based on picture selection only. You can go for these jobs, no problems.
Another factor will be the scheduling, they may say for example, the job will be on the 1st, 2nd, or 4th, where the 1st and 2nd are Saturday and Sunday and the 4th is a Tuesday. Since you work during the week, you would have to say 4th is out or call in sick and go do the job.
It is a delicate balance between work and acting/modeling.
I think I have worked at every time on every day, lots were on weekends, Friday evenings, etc, but a lot of jobs were also from 6am during the week.
For the most part, auditions are almost exclusively held for commercials and narration work. Occasionally, they will audition for TV gigs, but due to the lower pay available for them, it isn't viable.
I think auditioning is one thing you get better at over time, but the best approach is to do act out your interpretation of what you think they are looking for. I remember one of the auditions I did last year was for Roland electronic organs. They told me we needed to play "Love me tender," but only slowly. In the actual audition, it was super fast, which I couldn't do, so I just bashed the keyboard and danced around like an idiot. I didn't get that one, but it was worth it just to see their faces!
What happens once I have registered with the agency?
As soon as you sign with them they will be thinking of you, but keep in mind it can take a little while to get things moving. After the agency meets you, they will try and get you out on an extras job to see how you work and give you more/less calls based on that. For someone like me who knows all the agencies and even some of the casting people (the industry there it is really small actually - always the same faces in production), I can pretty well just slot straight back in. It shouldn't take someone with the right approach long at all to do the same. Professionalism is key to making a great first impression.
Visas and immigration.
If you are a citizen of a Commonwealth and some EU contries, you can apply for the Working Holiday Visa, which is good for 18 months.
There are some agencies that will sponsor actors for entertainment visas, but it isn't something they do readily. It takes a while for them to get to know you and see you book jobs and make them money. I have 3 agencies that would do it for me, but it has taken 4 years to get to that point. I do have a degree, so it is just as easy to get a teaching job, but they didn't want to see me suffer in some classroom.
If you have a college degree, then you can look at an English School for a sponsored work visa. Teaching isn't bad, provided you have a plan of attack and see it for what it is - entertainment for the passive Japanese students.
You will need to put in several months before the visa is finalized before walking away. It will also really cramp your style with the acting work.
The best way to maximize your success is to hit the acting/modeling work full time from day 1, which you can do easily with either the dependent visa or working holiday visa.
Things are becoming a lot easier with immigration in Japan, but there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the whole process.
In many ways, it can come down to the person at the counter processing your application, as everyone seems to get different results.
I have received many emails from people coming to Japan telling me about immigration according to the Embassy in Canada, Australia, etc. The reality of immigration is based on what happens at the Immigration office in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. Never accept an answer as definite from anyone outside this office. They may be following some manual written in the 80s, but it is completely different in the building where the actual decisions are made and visa stamps put into passports.
Basically, there are a number of options for visas.
Working Holiday Visa -- by far the easiest and best way, but not available to US citizens. Commonwealth and some EU nations only.
Working Visa -- you need a college degree and a sponsor
Spousal Visa -- marriage to a Japanese National
Dependent Visa -- let s say your foreign significant other has a Working visa, you are tacked on to that visa basically
Cultural Visa -- studying martial arts, etc
Student Visa -- studying at a University in Japan
Entertainment Visa -- hard to get and only good for 3 months at a time.
With the exception of a Working Holiday visa, the others require a certificate of eligibility and then an application for a visa 2 separate steps. It is confusing, especially for new comers to Japan, but with the right advice, it will be a breeze. There isn t a way around the 3 hour wait at the Immigration Office, but at least there won t be any surprises.
I go into further detail in the Chapter in the ebook about visas/immigration and even have a video account of a case gone wrong. Everyone is different, but I will work with you through the process to ensure there are no problems.
I have also recently added some extras information to the ebook. The chapter list is now as follows:
Introduction
Acting
Agencies
Actors
Auditions
Schedules
Money
Visas
Life Training
The Freelance Agencies
The Contract Agencies
Secrets of the Aviation Industry
Housing Chapter
20 bonus ebooks
The best ebook on cracking into acting, modeling and narration jobs in Tokyo, just got better.
Also don't forget about my ebooks on English Teaching Jobs and a site on Hostessing/dancing in Japan.
Coming soon...
Working as a Headhunter
As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Matt
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